Wikipedia is an online encyclopedia with millions of pages on an array of topics, contributed and edited by the public. Although it appears scholarly and does provide numerous articles written and edited by reputable authors, there are also many articles that are not, as well as the fact that these articles are easily edited.

This factor is what pushes it out of the realms of trustworthiness and expertise within credibility. Although Wikipedia is a good starting place for research, its information is not highly and oftenly reviewed and moderated by experts (“What’s Wrong with Wikipedia?”, n.d.).

The fact that Wikipedia’s articles are so easily edited has become a highlight of its history, with multiple stories emerging of users adding false information without it being picked up for months, sometimes years later.

Wikipedia is best used to grasp ideas and concepts, but not facts. Students are best off using the sources cited and measuring their individual credibility, rather than Wikipedia itself.